Treyarch has again revealed a new teaser for the upcoming Zombies mode and the reactions are a real rollercoaster. The developers’ tweet flaunts a vehicle named T.E.D.D. along with ‘T.E.D.D. is one hell of a tour guide these days’ and a Zombies hashtag. But, the reply to the tweet indicates an unbelievable split of those who are super hyped for the new Zombies and the others who are simply bored with the current Zombies storyline.
To start with, T.E.D.D. was a character in the previous Black Ops Zombies and if anyone is not aware of this character then he could be described as a friendly AI who was quite often of assistance. T.E.D.D. is now meant to be controlling a vehicle in the new mode which sounds good, right? Nevertheless, if you read the comments you will feel as if you have arrived on two different worlds.
Some gamers could not be happier with T.E.D.D.’s return. A user @aidanoffline expressed his disappointment with T.E.D.D. being ‘tedd sounds so goofy compared to bo2 🙁 but at least he’s back’ this is a really good portrayal of the longing for the past which comes with the Zombies theme among the long-time players. The feelings may not be the same but at least they are reviving things. And @_jonathan_ahern presented this funny take on ‘TEDD taking us through the average twitter feed’ which was indeed very true to the mood.
But there are also the others who have been totally disconnected from the fun. @SmileyDieHappY was very straight forward and said ‘Yeah I still don’t think I’m ever coming back to zombies after blops4 and cold war.. its not the same.’ There is unmistakable disappointment in this remark. It’s as if they are saying ‘once bitten twice shy’ and do not want to be led astray again.
Moreover, the vehicle mechanics are also an issue that is being discussed very actively. @Ash4vibeZ suggested ‘you should make it so we can toggle for 3rd person or 1st person when in the vehicle’ which sounds to be a good and smart request. In contrast, @guildkin_678 said ‘i hate driving vehicles in first person in games no thanks’ so not everyone finds it attractive when the driving feature is introduced.
It is indeed rather unexpected that this teaser has led to the discussion of zombies mechanics. There is quite an interesting discussion going on about armor systems where @Sweepty_eu pointed out ‘its just a big trigger point for many people to see fcking warzone plating mechanics in a zombies game it just doesn’t fit.’ And that is a valid argument, when a certain game mode starts resembling other modes too much it loses that unique something.
Apart from that, the carry forward issue is also the root cause of very intense disagreements. Some players are for seeing their old weapons and gear transferred over while others insist that each new game should be a fresh start. @platinumriggs put forth the argument ‘This is a new game if you want stuff from old game so much why have a new game?’ which can indeed be considered a fair point.
In addition, the UI things continue to be a major issue with @jimbo2434 complaining about ‘shoving pack tutorials in our face on standard mode’ while @atk_vortex retorted ‘You can literally change the ui to the old one 🤣🤣 lock in’, thus proving that it is at least safe to conclude that Treyarch is trying to meet the different tastes of the community.
One thing really is very personal and it is that people are extremely passionate about their Zombies experiences. @shiggarfraggar even posted ‘Feels good to finally be able to unfollow this trash game’ along with the Battlefield 6 hashtag which can be interpreted as extremely derogatory. Nevertheless, there are still players, like @RushMamba for example, who are even coming up with new ways to improve the mode, as he inquires ‘first person view for driving Tessie please so we can actually see TEDD!!!!!’
Undoubtedly, Treyarch is making every effort not to lose track of the fine line between innovation and nostalgia. The revival of T.E.D.D. will no doubt warm the hearts of the long-standing fans but simultaneously the vehicle mechanics and the potential borrowing of the Warzone-style features signal that they are stepping into uncharted territory. Whether that balance is successful or not, the Zombies community will always be very vocal about their opinions and will never hesitate to express them.
The entire scenario, in a way, brings back memories of the times when you had to brace yourself for a change in the game that would sometimes disconnect a part of the audience. It’s always a struggle between progress and sticking to what was right for the community at the time of the game’s origin. Some players are adamant about wanting the Plants vs. Zombies experience to remain pure.
